Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

~Proverbs 4:23 NIV

Our hearts are at the center of our being. Physically, they pump blood to all the organs in our body and keep our systems stable and functional. Without our physical heart working correctly, we die. We must be solid in the center of our being.

The Heart

The writers of the Old Testament understood the significance of our physical hearts and their emotional/spiritual aspects. Our dreams, desires, fears, and concerns rest in the heart, where the Holy Spirit resides. Both good and bad decisions manifest from within the walls of our hearts.

Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, understood the importance of the heart. He mentions the word almost seventy times in Proverbs, and the word is mentioned almost one thousand times in the entire Bible. Solomon instructed us to guard our hearts—to protect them and keep them safe. But from what? When I protect my heart, I guard it against unnecessary hurt, lies from the enemy, temptation to sin, and senseless wandering.

The Challenge

Just as we should protect our hearts and guard them at all costs, bees live similarly. When they build their hives, they work from the center out. If the center construct is not solid and strong, the hive will not be as solid. It must be solid in the center.

Don’t forget that our hearts matter. What we put in eventually comes out. If it doesn’t, it begins lining the walls of our hearts and influencing all we do. Pay attention. Our hearts matter to Jesus.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

~Psalm 51:10 KJV

Focus on the center. Protect and keep your heart strong. Put Jesus at the core of your life, not something or someone else.

Jesus, help me pay attention and spend time looking at my heart. I don’t want to give the enemy a foothold in my heart. I want a solid core, just like honeybees have. Expose anything that doesn’t need to be there. Amen.

 

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2024: Solid in the Center: Christy Bass Adams: All Rights Reserved